The use of ultraviolet light to sanitize toothbrushes is known in the art. Hylton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,770, issued Feb. 21, 1989 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a germicidal toothbrush holder. The apparatus of Hylton includes a substantially closed, upright cylindrical housing having a detachable top lid. The lid has an annular array of openings through which the bristled ends of toothbrushes may be inserted and removed. A UV lamp of low intensity is operably mounted within the housing for emitting ultraviolet radiation in the 200 to 300 nanometer wavelength range, as well as some radiation in the visible range above 300 nanometers and in the ozone producing range below 200 nanometers. A removable cup structure supports the bristled ends of the toothbrushes in an annular array immediately surrounding the lamp, and has an annular interior surface coated with aluminum for high reflectance of UV radiation.
Hylton discloses that his UV lamp is on continuously to expose the toothbrushes to germicidal radiation and to generate small quantities of ozone which accumulate to have some sterilizing effect. However, it is not clear whether the bulb he uses is optimized for best germicidal radiation (253.7 nm) or whether such a battery operated low intensity bulb can provide any appreciable germicidal effect.
The lower portion of the housing is translucent to visible light, so that the holder operates as well as a nightlight for the bathroom. Hylton does disclose a switch for turning off the apparatus, but describes the apparatus operating “continuously”. Hylton discloses using a “low intensity” bulb as a safety feature such that if a child removes the cover and peers inside, presumably no eye damage will occur.
However, such a “safety” feature compromises the effectiveness of the apparatus. Moreover, it is not clear than even a “low intensity” bulb would be safe. As the apparatus of Hylton is designed to remain on all night (e.g. as a night light) it consumes energy at all times. Moreover, the user is never apprised as to whether the toothbrushes inserted therein are indeed sanitized. Thus, a requirement remains in the art for better safety features which allow for higher intensity UV bulb usage. In addition, a requirement remains in the art for a sanitizer which is not on all of the time.
Ellis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,445, issued May 9, 1978, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a combination night light and sterilizing holder for toilet articles. A hollow body member has a plurality of side opening pockets at the upper portion thereof to receive toilet articles such as toothbrushes. The inner ends of the pockets have openings into the interior of the body member providing exposure to sterilizing radiation from an uncoated portion of a light bulb supported within the housing. The light emitted from the coated portion serves as a night light. At the top of the holder is a shelf for supporting containers thereon in inverted relation whereby the containers are also sterilized by the bulb.
As with Hylton, Ellis envisions an apparatus which appears to be on all the time, wasting energy when not in use. Moreover, there do not appear to be any safety features to prevent eye exposure to the uncoated mercury vapor bulb of Ellis. Thus, Ellis does not address the deficiencies of Hylton.
Chu, U.S. Pat. No. 5126,572, issued Jun. 30, 1992, and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a toothbrush holder. A personal health care item in the form of a toothbrush holder is provided comprising means to support one or more toothbrushes, and an ultraviolet irradiating light device to treat the brush of any toothbrush mounted within the toothbrush support means and thus kill any germs present within the brush. This novelty toothbrush holder is provided with a switch for activating the apparatus when a toothbrush is inserted. A timer activates the apparatus for 1 to 10 minutes. A battery operated bulb is used.
While the apparatus is provided with a timer and switch, the switch contacts the bristles of the apparatus, possibly spreading contamination between brushes. In addition, no safety features are provided. The novelty aspect of the invention (cartoon heads) invites children to play with the device. Such a device, designed for children should be provided with a “fail-safe” security system.
Abernathy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,251, issued Jun. 28, 1974 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses a toothbrush drying device. Toothbrushes are inserted into a housing having a heating device and a source of ultraviolet light. A timer is used to activate the device. Like the other devices cited above using timers, it appears that in Abernathy, once the timer goes off, the light is extinguished until reset. Thus, if a toothbrush is left in the device for an extended period of time, bacteria could grow unchecked.
In addition, there do not appear to be any safety features to this device—it appears it may be opened while in use. In addition, the toothbrushes must be inserted into a rack within a recessed cylinder, with the heads up. It would appear that this would cause unnecessary handling of the toothbrush head, and would also be awkward to use.
Andary et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,407, issued May 4, 1976 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses an automatic toothbrush sterilizer. Andary provides a safety mechanism in that the toothbrushes are inserted into the device and then rotated into place before a sanitizing lamp.
It appears that Andary leaves the UV light on all the time, except when a toothbrush is inserted or removed from the apparatus. Moreover, the rotary chamber design is not user friendly, as the user must rotate the apparatus chamber to insert and release toothbrushes—possibly why Andary envisions a wall-mounted device. The apparatus is also fairly complex, and thus expensive to produce.
Moreover, all of the aforementioned apparatus doe not provide any means for sanitizing anything other than a traditional toothbrush. Modern electric toothbrushes may be provided with removable heads and the like. Such removable heads are not readily adaptable to the toothbrush sanitizers of the Prior Art.
In addition, the various apparatus discussed above do not appear to be easy to clean. As toothbrushes tend to drip water, unused toothpaste, and the like, toothbrush holders tend to accumulate unsavory gunk over time and need to be periodically rinsed. The devices discussed above do not appear to be readily cleaned.
The Andary device, for example, provides an elaborate safety mechanism to prevent UV light from reaching the user. However, this apparatus does not appear to be easily disassembled or cleaned. A device which can be readily taken apart presents obvious UV safety hazards to the user. Thus, the two conflicting requirements—safety and ease of cleaning—have yet to be addressed in the Prior Art by one apparatus.
Thus, it remains a requirement in the art to provide an apparatus which is relatively simple in design and is easy to use. It remains a further requirement in the art to provide an apparatus which may control the amount of time a UV light is applied to the toothbrushes, without being on all the time or going off after only a few minutes. It further remains a requirement in the art to provide an apparatus with a safety feature to shut the apparatus off if an attempt is made to open the device while in use.
It further remains a requirement in the art to provide a toothbrush sanitizer which may be used with non-traditional toothbrushes and other items such as electronic toothbrush heads and the like. It further remains a requirement in the art to provide a toothbrush sanitizer which may be readily disassembled and cleaned to remove accumulate toothpaste and the like.